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Energy medicine promotes healing by working within an individual’s personal energetic field and seeing how it interacts with the larger energy field. We can tell what’s happening with someone by checking in on their 7 main chakras, the centers of energy that run from the base of the spine up through the top of the head.

These 7 centers, along with up to 20 smaller chakras, govern our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. In other words, chakras hold the secrets to how you feel about yourself and your world, how you get along with others, the condition of your body, your relationship to money, whether or not weight is a problem, how you make decisions, and your spiritual advancement.

That’s a lot to ask of something most people can’t see. But then again, we can’t see the radioactive particles released from a damaged nuclear reactor either, and yet we take seriously their capability to affect our lives. The energy centered in the chakras has a very profound effect on our lives.

So what can you do to create and maintain healthy and balanced chakras? Here are seven sure-fire simple steps you can take to balance your chakras:

1. Connect to Mother Earth: Take a Walk in Nature.

The first chakra is your Root Chakra and is the very foundation of physical and emotional health. It is your basic connection to Mother Earth — the roots you plant in the soil of your being. This is where your physical strength lies, and the psychological strength to withstand whatever you have to deal with.

A simple walk barefoot on grass or a sandy beach will do wonders to ground you. Hug a tree, go hiking in the wilderness, or visit a local park. You don’t have to live in the countryside or mountains to strengthen this connection with Mother Nature. Grounding yourself will give you the experience of “I am here, and I am safe” and this presence is so essential to your health. Take time out of your day to make sure you make this connection and you will automatically strengthen your Root Chakra.

2. Calm your Body and Environment with Water.

The second chakra is the seat of sensuality, sexuality, emotion, and the inner child. It governs how we relate in groups, how we establish inner and outer boundaries, and how we find pleasure. A common problem related to the second chakra is addition. You may be using drugs, alcohol, pills, food, smoking, exercise, or sex as ways to avoid dealing with your emotions, to numb yourself. The physical problems of a poorly functioning second chakra are often the kinds of things that breed shame if the health issues concern their sexuality. One way to heal the shame is to soak for at least 20 minutes in a bath of warm water with one pound each of sea salt and baking soda. Imagine all your guilt and shame dissolving in the bath water and being washed away as you say: “I speak the truth and reclaim my true nature. I am pure. I am clean.” Water is healing, and immersing yourself in water on a regular basis is a self-nurturing habit.

3. Get Moving!

The second chakra is the seat of our self-worth — our self esteem, will power, and personal power. It is the seat of our mental body, where we identify with our ego and our individuality. A strong will means we know what our goals are and have an idea of what we want to do. The power in the third chakra is our right to act, to use our will, to follow through with what we start, to meet challenges head-on, and to not be stopped by fear. You can balance your third chakra through physical movement, especially outside in the sun in the early morning or before sunset. Don’t get too warm if you tend to be angry or short-tempered! Physical movement awakens and recharges your body. You can also try T’ai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates!

4. Love a Pet!

The fourth chakra is your heart chakra and it is the center point, where you merge the strength and support of Mother Earth from below with the wisdom and guidance from above that combine to make you a compassionate human being. A poorly functioning fourth chakra can keep you in bondage to emotional attachment. It is through your heart chakra that you can come to feel the presence of unconditional, unlimited love — for your self, for all beings, for the world and beyond. One of the best ways to boost your heart chakra is through giving and receiving love with a pet. Our pets love us unconditionally and make it safe for us to learn to love again. Do you have room in your life to adopt a dog or cat? You can feed your heart chakra and at the same time change this animal’s life forever in a positive way. No room or time to adopt your own? What about visiting your local shelter or even just visiting a friend’s friendly pet and sharing some love with them?

5. Express Yourself: Use your Voice.

The fifth chakra is our center of creativity. This chakra is where we express our choices and communicate who we are. Because our use of sound and communication purifies our lower selves and allows us to experience the higher vibrations of spirit, we can tune up our fifth chakra by expressing ourselves more clearly and exploring our creativity. All creativity is a way to communicate what we feel. Use your voice and read out loud your favorite book or poem. Write something yourself and recite it! Sing a song — in the shower, in your car wherever! When your fifth chakra is in balance, you can live your dreams and visions, your greater purpose. Let yourself be who you are and give yourself a voice!

6. Visualize and Find your Inner Sight.

The sixth chakra, or “third eye”, is the center of higher intellect. The gifts of the spirit emerge in this chakra, like clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, and psychokinesis. You can boost this chakra by working to rid yourself of the clutter in your mind so you can “see” more clearly. Daily meditation is a wonderful way to get rid of old beliefs and thought patterns that are holding you back. When you have awakened the sixth chakra, you are in touch with inspiration, insight, wisdom, and vision.

7. Invite the Divine!

The seventh chakra, or crown chakra, connects us to spirit, our higher power, and the universe. It lights up our consciousness. When our crown chakra is open, our perception is clearer, broader, and we are allowed to not only see our daily patterns, but also the deep metaphysical patterns of our lives. Like the sixth chakra, meditation is a powerful tool to boosting this chakra. Perhaps prayer or communion with nature will assist you as well. Ask your own higher wisdom for guidance and signs that you are on the right path, and make time for yourself to listen for internal messages regarding purpose and direction. Visualize positive and peaceful outcomes. The truth that emerges will open the door for you to greater levels of connection.

Your chakras are all interconnected. They embrace you as a whole person. As you do the inner work of clearing and releasing past traumas, negativity and outmoded belief systems, you will lighten the load of your chakras. Your energy will move into greater balance, and as a result, you will feel better. So why not take the initiative and seek out ways to better balance your chakras?